Making a living from construction sites.

Amidst the massive construction sites shaping the urban landscape of Hai Phong city, there is a group of unsung workers who cling to each project to make a living.

Mobile food carts weave their way through construction sites.

Stay at the construction site.

At the Hoang Huy Newcity project (North Cam River urban area), as workers begin their shifts, Ms. Tran Thi Hue (from Tan Thanh commune, Lang Son province) is busy preparing breakfast and selling additional personal protective equipment.

After her husband, Nguyen Van Tinh, worked as a construction worker here for two years, Hue followed him to Hai Phong city to open a small shop serving construction workers, relying on the construction site for her livelihood.

Not far away, Ms. Tran Thi Nga's mobile bread and sticky rice stall in the Six Phien residential area (Thuy Nguyen ward) is always crowded with customers from early morning. From 3 a.m., she gets up to prepare ingredients, cook sticky rice, and make fillings for the bread to serve workers before they start work.

According to Ms. Nga, most of her customers are regular workers who eat quickly before their shifts. Each meal costs just over ten thousand dong, but consistent sales are enough to cover living expenses. However, this income largely depends on the progress of the construction project. When the construction site is busy, business is good; when work slows down, the number of customers decreases significantly.

Many seasonal workers find employment on construction sites.

Besides selling goods, freelance labor supply services also appear around construction sites. These "middlemen" connect bricklayers, laborers, and porters with teams when they need short-term manpower.

Nguyen Van Dung, a specialist in recruiting workers for several large construction projects in the Hai An ward area, said that on some days, contractors need dozens of laborers in a short period. The job requires quick contact and timely mobilization. Income is therefore unstable and completely dependent on the project's needs.

Alongside this is the rental housing service. Many households utilize their homes, even setting up temporary rooms, to rent out to workers on a monthly basis or according to the project's progress. These rows of rental rooms, though simple, meet the essential need for accommodation near the workplace.

Life is precarious.

The job of collecting scrap metal at construction sites is also precarious.

According to a project manager at the interchange connecting National Highway 17B with National Highway 5 and the Hanoi -Hai Phong railway (Phu Thai commune), the emergence of informal services around the construction site is inevitable. Workers are working intensely and for extended periods, so their needs for food, rest, and accommodation are very high. These services help save time and costs, contributing to the stability of the workforce's living conditions.

For Pham Van Hoa, a construction worker from Nam Cuong commune (Hung Yen province), having shops and guesthouses near the construction site makes daily life more convenient for workers. After work, they can eat and rest on-site without having to travel far. Hoa said: "We've been working on the project to connect National Highway 17B with National Highway 5 and the Hanoi-Hai Phong railway for two years now. Luckily, there are service providers around the construction site to meet our essential needs, because if we lived far away, we couldn't bring everything with us."

When the constructions are completed, many people who depend on them for their livelihood will also have to leave.

Although it offers convenience, the lives of those who make a living around construction sites are precarious. The majority of people who make their living around these sites are freelance workers with unstable jobs, their income directly dependent on the construction progress and the number of workers.

When construction projects reach their peak, demand increases, business is booming, lodging is always fully booked, and services catering to workers become more vibrant. Conversely, when projects are delayed or enter a phase with fewer workers, their income decreases rapidly.

Ms. Tran Thi Hue further shared: "Working on construction sites, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. There's work when there's a project, and when the project is over, you have to find another place. Here, everyone relies on each other; if one person is in trouble, another helps. Thanks to that, I've been able to stay until now."

In reality, besides the official construction workforce, the service workers surrounding the construction site play a crucial role in maintaining daily operations. They provide essential needs, help workers save time, stabilize their lives, and thus indirectly support the construction progress.

Construction projects will eventually be completed, and new urban areas and roads will gradually take shape, contributing to changing the city's urban landscape. However, livelihood activities around construction sites still face many shortcomings. Much of it is spontaneous, lacking planning, and poses potential risks to traffic safety, environmental hygiene, and fire prevention and control.

Some shops and stalls encroach on the road and sidewalks, and temporary lodging areas are cramped and do not meet security and safety standards. In addition, labor brokerage activities lacking proper regulations also pose many risks to workers.

To address this, it is necessary to strengthen management, rationally organize business establishments and lodging areas; inspect and ensure safety and environmental hygiene conditions. At the same time, solutions are needed to support and connect freelance workers with employment, helping them stabilize their lives.

When construction is complete and the workers leave, the shops and lodgings around the site gradually thin out. Some pack up to find work on other projects, while others remain, waiting for new ones. Whether they stay or leave, their livelihoods still depend on the pace of construction.

HAI MINH

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/muu-sinh-nho-cong-truong-540974.html